Device for taking off current for electric tramways.



No. 683,663. I Pafented Out. I, I90l. A. REINECKE.

DEVICE FOR TAKING OFF CURRENT FOR ELECTRIC TRAMWAYS.

' (Application filed. Apr. 12, 1901.)

(No Modal.)

m: Noam! mans gopP'naro-uma, WASHlNGTON. u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

AUGUST REINEOKE, or NEVIGES, GERMANY.

DEVICE FOR TAKING OFF CURRENT FOR ELECTRIC TRAMWAYS.

SJPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 683,663, dated October 1, 1901.

Application filed April 12, 1901. Serial No. 55,538. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AUGUST REINEOKE, a subject of the King of Prussia, German Emperor, residing at Neviges, in the Kingdom of Prussia, in the Empire of Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in Devices for Taking Off Current for Electric Tramways, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to improvements in devices for taking off current for electric tramways with current-supply over earth. Devices for this purpose are known in several different constructions-as, for instance, rod contact with rollers and slide-bow contact. These two constructions are mostly used, but have both inconveniences of various sorts, so that if the rod contact with roller is exposed to very great wear in the bearings of the roller the latter will occasionally be caught and often lose contact with the conduction-wire. In applying the slide-bow contact the conduction-wire is exposed to heavy wear, as the slide-bow being pressed against the wire under spring action will cause very great friction at the said conduction-wire. These inconveniences are avoided by the present invention.

. In order to make my invention more clear, I refer to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters denote similar parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a section view of my new contact device. Fig. 2 is an end view of it. Fig. 3 is a front View, and Fig. 4c is a side view, of the new contact device with the conduction-wire.

My new device for taking off current consists of the contact-rod a, carrying at its up per end the two contact-balls c and d. For the purpose of decreasing friction the two contact=balls are arranged to roll upon the bearing-balls g and hand also upon the bearing-studs e and f. For keeping the balls in their position a removable cap '5 is arranged, which is fixed to the contact-rod by means of a hinge n. Having put the balls in their relative position, the cap 1' is fiapped over and secured by a screw on. The conductionwire 1) runs over the two balls 0 and cl, and thereby the wear on both sides is reduced to aminimum. By the arrangement of the cap 2' projecting on both sides and far over the level of the conduction-wire it is almost impossible that the contact-rod should be able to fly or slip off the wire, and thereby lose contact with the wire. At the roller contact the rod will often spring out as the rolling rim of the roller beats under the wire, which then is forced to slip oif. In the use of my contact device this is impossible, because the wire springing upward will always beat against the upper ears of the cap 1; and fall back on the rollers without being able to slip off.

Having now particularly described my said invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is In devices for taking off current for electric tramways with current-supply over earth the contact device consisting of two balls, being arranged side by side in bearings in the upper end of a contact-rod in such manner, that the current-supply wire runs between the said balls and two upper ears of a protecting-cap, for the purpose of lessening the wear of contact device and current-wire and preventing the contact-rod from losing contact with the wire by means of the flanged protecting-cap.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set'my hand in presence of two witnesses.

AUGUST REINEOKE.

Witnesses:

Orro Keith}, J. A. RITTERsHAUs. 

